Gas-producer.



. \PATENTED JUNE'23, 1908. s. w. RUSHMORE.

GAS PRODUCER.

APPLIOATION I'ILBD MAY 19, 1906.

' I lNVENTOR JW ATTOR WITNESSES:

- struction and arrangement of SAMUEL W. RUSHMORE, OF PLAINFIELD,

NEW JERSEY.

GAS-PRODUCER.

Specificationof Letters Patent. Application filed May 19, 1905. Serial No.

Patented June 23, 190 8. 261,225.

To all whom it may concern:

Be-it known that I, SAMUEL W. RUsnMoRE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Plainfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Producers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it apper'tainsto make and use the same.-

My invention relates to gas producers and is intended particularly for use with the socalled suction producers to insure uniform combustion of the fuel in the chamber and to provide a convenient means for supporting the 'fuel' therein so that the waste can be removed easily.

The essential features thereof are the producer of the well known type, having a vertically arranged producing, or fuel, chamber,

practically inclosed within a cylindrical shell, provided;

with a fire-brick lining, and having. an upper opening for the fuel su ply and a bottom opening for the air suppl y. Below such bottom opening for the support of the fuel in the chamber I arrange a grate at-a short distance from the lower wall of the chamber, leaving a space between the grate and the wall which.

is small, but sufficiently large, to remove the largerparticles of ash, clinker, waste, etc.,

which will not readily pass through the grate. I also arrange immediately around s'aid bottom opening means for varying the size thereof, for the urpose hereinafter more fully described.- uchmeans may desirably consist of a metallic ring composed ofsegmental plates fitted to slid means by which'said plates'simultaneousl or independently, may be movedinwardl and outwardly to diminish, size of said opening.

In the drawing herewith, I have shown a desirable embodiment of my invention which, however, may be varied in form, conparts Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a producer of a common type provided with my invention. Fig. 2 is a p an showing the arrangement and mode of operation of the segmental plates. Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are, respectively, plan, end elevation and side elevation of a detached plate.

In the figures, 1 indicates the metallic, cy-

" be composed of e-ways formed ina the bottom of the wall and provided with or increase,- the lindrical shell provided with the fire-brick lining 2, supported on the annular late 3, secured b any suitable means wit the metallic sh the gas, and metallic top-plate 22, provided with a fuel opening 23, and supporting a hopper 24 for the fuel supply, which may be'closed by balance-cover 25, having a suitable locking means 26. The fuel opening 23 may be closed by a suitable valve journaled arm 28 provided with an adjustable counterbalance weight 29.

of the producing chamber may be gradually contracted, as here shown, and provided with a suitable opening 30, commonly and preferably made circular.

Immediately below the bottom opening is arranged the grate 5, which I arrange a short distance below the bottom wall of the chamber so as to leave a small space 4 between it and said bottom wall, which is merely large enough to permit easy removal of the clinker and other larger particles, as aforesaid,-which will not readily pass between the grate bars. Immediately below annular plate '3 is arranged a corresponding annular plate 7, also suitably secured in the shell and having a corresponding circular opening. Said annular plates 3 and 7,'being arranged parallel and at a short distance one below the other, provide an annular bearing or slide-way in which is arranged a sectional ring adapted to be moved so as to diminish the size of the opening 30. This sectional ring may desirably mental 'plates 6, the slide-way, and provided with outwardly extending, threaded bolts or shanks 9, to each ofwhich is fitted an external hand wheel'8, provided With-a circular flange 10, fitting in bearing 11 on the shell. By turning each hand-wheel, its] segmental plate is adjusted inwardly or outwardly, to vary the size of the central bottom opening. The front edges of the plates may be beveled, or, as here shown, more or less of their radial edges beveled, so that when being moved inwardly they more easily force their way, or

out through the bed of ash and fuel. These sections ma evidently be'arranged to be moved-simu taneously, if desired.

It will be understood that my sectional ring for varying the size of the opening and my peculiarly arranged grateare desirably used in the same producer,

ell, and inclosing the producingchamber 20, having an outlet pipe 21 for The bottom independent, metallic, seg supported and moving in but the grate may a be used by rin may be used without the grate and the weight of'thefuel bed supported upon the mass of ashes, as in producers to'which the air and steam are supplied to the fuel bed under pressure. v l a It. has been found in practice that-with producers constructed in theusual-way, as shown in Fig. 1 with the opening at the bot-. tom of the fuel bed of the full diameter of the lower portion of the brickwork,-it is difiicult or impossible to obtain a uniform rate of combustion, as the air, entering atthe bottom, finds an easierpath by entering at a point near the lower edge of the brick work, than by passing through the mass of ash and clinker upon the grate, with the result that the fuel is consumed at a much more rapid a time (or simu ha. i area eter "DI-the bri.

rate in the immediate'vici'nity of the brick walls than at the center of the mass, so that after the producer has been in operation for, a time, there accumulates upon, or next to the brick walls a layer of-ash and clinker, which, being very porous, permits'the' air to pass around the heated fuel at the center and to cause combustion of the gas formed at the center of the bed, resulting not only in a great waste of fuel but seriously reducing the heatmg value of the gas. a overcome the difliculties described due to.

the entrance of the air near the brick work, by providing the movable segments 6, so that when the segments are all brought together, the "air can enter only through the central passage remaining at the center, around which it is equally distributed through the operation of fuel. bed. During the normal the producer, the se ments are left intheir inward'position, an much of the ash and clinker is removed from time to time throu h the restricted central opening. At intervals, however, the se ments are withdrawn one at hand wheels, to permit the complete removal of ash and; clinker which may have formed directly above-them. I thus overcome all the difficulties due to the unequal distribution of air through the fiuel bed and yet retain'all of the advantages of the large unrestricted epening. for the removal of ash -and clinker.,- Iv am, aware. that producers have beenbuilt with openings at the bottom smaller than the lowest diam- 1k work, but know of no one who-has providedavariable opening;

' He'ving 'thu'sdescribed my invention, what itself, or, if desired, the adjusting taneously) by 'means of the,

arranged 0 I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I '1. In a gas roducer having a vertically arran ed'chamher provided with an opening in-its ottom, the combination with a rate arranged below said opening, of a ring 0 segmental plates'arranged above said grate, and. means to adjust said plates in, and out, to varythe size of the opening. i 2. In a as roducer having a vertically arranged 0 am er rovided with an upper opening for the'fue supply and a circu ar opening its bottom,

a grate arranged below said bottom opening the combination with anda short distance below the bottom of the chamber to support the to'moVe horizontally in suitable supports, and means independently to adjust said I fuel, of a ring oomposed of separate segmental plates arranged plates in and outto diminishlor increase the size of thecircular opening.

3. In a gas roducer havin a cylindrical metallic shellllned with fire-brlck inclosing a per roducing chamber, provided withan u e-lower portion 0' its uel opening, with t walls inwardly-inclined, and with a central,

circular, bottom opening, of agrate arranged a short distance two parallel, annular plates arranged around the bottom opening to form an annular slideway, and movable-pieces arranged in said slide-way, and adapted to'be moved in and out to var the size of the'central opening, substantia ly as described and shown. Y 4. In a gas producer having an opening in the bottom of the chamber, imperforate -plates tovary thesize of the opening and means to operate said plates in one plane.

5. In a gas producer having an opening in the bottom of the chamber, a series of horizontally arranged plates to vary the size of .the o ening and means to move said plates radia y in the horizontal plane.

61 In a' as reducer having a vertically SAMUEL W. RUSHMORE. Wit-nesses: i I

Louis OLSON BARTON, WARREN H. MARSH.

below' said bottom opening, I

am er provided with a bottom. 

